Promises
by YoungFool
Summary: Zuko had always honored the promises he made, as had Ty Lee. But the ones they made to each other were the ones that they would never forget. These same promises were the ones that changed their lives. One-Shot. Ty Luko. Rated K.


**Yup, another one-shot for Ty Luko. This is an idea I had some time ago but never chose to write due to my laziness. But Ty Luko Week has been all the motivation! =)**

**DISCLAIMER: I don't own Avatar: The Last Airbender, although I wish I did.**

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**This takes place throughout many times in the lives of Ty Lee and Zuko. It goes in chronological order so the story shouldn't be hard to follow. Enjoy!**

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**Promises**

A young boy's laughter filled the air as he ran around the courtyard of the Fire Nation's Royal Palace. A younger girl chased him around, giggling herself as she ran around with her friend. The young prince tried not to be tagged by Ty Lee but she made that a difficult task for him. Eventually, when she got him, he laughed even harder and dropped to the floor.

"Gotcha!" Ty Lee said excitedly despite being in need for air. Zuko lay on his back on the beautifully grown, green grass and watched Ty Lee lie down next to him, her sweet smile covering her face.

"That was fun!" the small boy said, also struggling to catch his breath. His chest moved up and down at a rapid pace and Ty Lee's did also.

"I'm faster than you!" Ty Lee playfully bragged, poking the boy on the shoulder.

"No! I was just tired" Zuko excused his lesser level of athleticism. He turned his head to the side so he could see Ty Lee's big gray eyes, and the look in them suggested that she didn't buy his excuse.

"It's no big deal ZuZu. Sometimes girls can be better than boys at things" Ty Lee tried to explain to the stubborn prince. He wasn't ready to buy that however.

"Well, not this time. I am faster than you" Zuko pressed further.

Ty Lee didn't want to discuss such a silly matter with her friend right now. She just wasn't in the mood. She looked for something to change the subject and smiled when she spotted the ponds. "Hey, let's go see the turtle ducks" she suggested.

"Sure" Zuko replied, sitting up. Ty Lee got up and offered Zuko her hand, which he took. The two walked side by side until the passed the gardens and stood before a lake with about ten turtle-ducks swimming peacefully within it.

"Aren't they so cute?" Ty Lee cooed.

"Yeah, they are" a happy Zuko answered. What Zuko and Ty Lee failed to notice despite their happiness was the princess, Azula, walking out of the palace and spotting them. Azula put on a smirk and snuck up behind the two friends. She stood directly behind Ty Lee and pushed her forward. Ty Lee's small cry of shock filled the air and was dulled out by the sound of her small, light figure splashing into the water.

Clearly annoyed by his rude sister, Zuko pushed Azula herself into the lake while she was distracted by her laughter. He really disliked her attitude. She also gave a small yell, making Zuko smile. Or rather, smirk. He grabbed Ty Lee's hand as the girl started helping herself and he pulled her up to her feet.

"Are you alright?" he asked with care as any friend should.

"Y-Yeah…that water's freezing!" Ty Lee shivered. "Azula…why did you do that? That was mean" Ty Lee pouted.

"ZUZU!" Azula screamed at the top of her lungs as she started to get up herself. She wasn't quick enough, however, because Zuko and Ty Lee ran together back to the palace. Back to Ursa. There, they would warm up and get away from the annoying Azula.

"I can't believe you pushed her in" Ty Lee was awed at Zuko's bravery. Despite being older than her, no one _ever_ did anything like that to Azula, the Fire Nation's beloved princess.

"It's what friends do" Zuko gave a friendly smile to his friend, who returned it with her own.

"Let's promise to be best friends forever" Ty Lee suggested, grin on face.

"Yeah" Zuko agreed.

"I promise" they both declared. Smiles covered their faces.

--

_They had always kept the smallest promises._

--

Zuko was on his way to Ty Lee's house, a birthday gift in his hands. She was celebrating her tenth birthday and had invited her closest friends, but not too many. Upon knocking on her house's door and being welcomed in, Zuko immediately began to look for Ty Lee. He wanted to wish her the happiest birthday ever.

"Thanks for coming Azula!" Ty Lee appreciated the princess's decision to come, failing to spot the princess' brother.

"Yeah…just be happy I did decide to come" Azula replied in a snobbish manner.

"…Of course" Ty Lee murmured as her smile faded.

"Happy birthday, Ty Lee" an emotionless voice sounded behind the birthday girl. Turning around quickly and having a small box shoved into her open arms, Ty Lee smiled.

"Mai!" she hugged her friend with one arm. "Thanks for coming"

"Whatever" Mai sighed.

"Let's go play some games. Then we could eat some cake!" Ty Lee chirped. She and her two friends disappeared from sight exactly when Zuko arrived upon the scene. He frowned.

"Where could she be?" Zuko whispered to himself, his gift still wrapped in his arms. He sat down at a chair and waited for Ty Lee to come to him instead.

A few good hours had passed since Zuko was last awake. He just noticed that he had slept during his best friend's birthday party, a feeling of guilt present at the bottom of his heart. What made it worse was that Ty Lee was so eager for him to come and he basically just blew her off.

The young prince got up and started running around the quite big, but now nearly empty house. Many of the guests had left and not many remained. Azula and Mai were still with Ty Lee though, talking nonsense in her bedroom.

After more failed attempts at looking for Ty Lee, Zuko saw his mother, Ursa, walking past him. "Mother, where are you going?"

"Oh, there you are, darling!" Ursa patted the boy on the head. "I see you still haven't given Ty Lee her gift yet"

"I couldn't find her and then I fell asleep," Zuko admitted. "I feel terrible"

"That's okay," Ursa smiled, enveloping the young boy in a soft hug. "I was going to tell your sister it's time to come home. You can stay a while longer if you'd like, however"

"Thanks mom!" Zuko smiled again. "Where are they?"

"They're in Ty Lee's room"

"Of course! Why didn't I look there?" Zuko asked himself, feeling quite stupid. Ursa walked toward the room with Zuko trailing a few feet behind. When his mother opened the door, she smiled and asked for Azula to come out.

"Time to go, Azula"

"…Okay" the young princess replied.

"Zuko," Ursa turned her head towards her son. "Have fun"

"Why can ZuZu stay?" Azula complained, only to be quickly hushed by her mother.

"I'm going to go too" Mai dismissed herself as well, leaving just Zuko and Ty Lee in the room by themselves. Ty Lee gave Zuko a satisfied smile and Zuko returned it with his own. Zuko went to sit on the bed and Ty Lee got up off the floor to take a seat next to him.

"Thank for coming, Zuko!" Ty Lee hugged her friend lightly. "Where were you?"

Just then, Ursa walked back into the room. "Don't you two look so cute together!" she teased in a joking manner. "Don't stay too long, Zuko. Be home soon"

"Okay, mother" Zuko said with the smallest blush on his face. Turning to Ty Lee, he saw she wore one too. Ursa waved the two off and left the room.

"Sorry I couldn't see you earlier. I couldn't find you" Zuko confessed, wearing a frown.

"It's okay, Zuko," Ty Lee gave him a forgiving smile. "All that matters is that you came"

"Thanks," Zuko replied, looking down into his lap and noticing the beautifully wrapped box he never gave to Ty Lee. "This is for you"

"That's so nice of you," Ty Lee grinned.

"I hope you like it," Zuko said, unsure of how she'd feel about her gift. "Why don't you open it now?"

Ty Lee didn't need to be told twice and began to slowly unwrap the ribbon and paper, hoping she wouldn't ruin it. It was a very pretty choice of wrap and the pink ribbon; she decided she would wear it in her hair later. Opening the box, anticipating, Ty Lee gave a small gasp as to what she saw. It was a small golden necklace with a large pink gem hanging at the bottom.

"Zuko! This is so pretty!" Ty Lee cheered and hugged Zuko again. "I love it!"

"I'm glad you like it. I had to spend a lot on it but I would do that anytime for you" he added.

"I'll keep it forever" Ty Lee spoke.

"Promise?" Zuko joked, smiling.

"I promise"

--

_They had always kept the more meaningful promises._

--

Zuko, accompanied by his uncle Iroh, walked towards the gates of the Fire Nation. He looked down, embarrassed, as he walked. His uncle just frowned disbelievingly. When they were about a hundred meters from the gates, his uncle stopped.

"Go on prince Zuko," Iroh started. "Go to the gates. I'll meet you there shortly"

"…" too hurt to speak, Zuko just nodded and started again as his uncle turned back for whatever he'd forgotten. The scar on the young prince's face, attained just a week earlier, shone a bright red. Even the smallest contact burned and Zuko had not allowed anyone to touch it. He didn't even touch it himself for almost the entire week. When he had gotten to the gates, he looked up and spotted a person, most likely there to wish him farewell.

"Zuko…" Ty Lee whispered, bringing herself to the scarred prince and wrapping him within her arms. Tears covered the poor girl's face but Zuko hardly saw them because she immediately dug her face into the boy's chest. He hadn't seen the girl in about a week but Ty Lee was there in the crowd when Fire Lord Ozai burned the child's face. She wept uncontrollably.

"Ty Lee…" he didn't know what to say. He felt terrible. Why couldn't he have just kept his mouth shut at the meeting instead of earning the disapproval of his entire nation?

"Why…?" she sobbed even more, her body shaking against the boy's.

"…I didn't mean to…speak up like that…" he whispered.

"No, I mean why does this have to happen?" she clarified. "It isn't fair"

"Life isn't fair, Ty Lee. I don't control things like this. That's what destiny is"

"I'm going to miss you so much" she choked. The tears still flowed from her big, gray eyes. The girl was torn from within. She didn't know if she would ever see Zuko again. After all, he was _banished_.

"I'm going to miss you too" he whispered back to her in an attempt to give some comfort.

"What if I never see you again?" Ty Lee sobbed some more. Zuko's shirt was wet now and he could feel it. But he didn't mind; this girl needed none of his whining.

"We'll see each other again. I'm sure of it"

"Just be careful and stay safe," Ty Lee begged. "You're my closest friend"

"I'll try" Zuko offered, his mood turned from embarrassment to sadness.

"…I…love you" Ty Lee revealed. This news shocked Zuko and made him feel even worse. Maybe it would've been better if she didn't tell him this. But she was just a child and probably didn't know the _true_ meaning of those words. A single tear rolled down the boy's cheek.

"Ty Lee…I like you a lot too" Zuko replied. He returned the girl's embrace for the first time that day. He brought her closer to him. So close, in fact, that Ty Lee could feel his warm breath on her neck.

"Nephew-," Iroh had arrived and stopped at the sight he saw. His mouth also turned into a frown. He went to the two and placed a hand on Ty Lee's shoulder, something the girl needed very much. "I'm terribly sorry…Miss Ty Lee"

Ty Lee couldn't respond. The constant choking over her tears wouldn't let her speak.

"Prince Zuko, it's time to go. Your father wanted you out of the city before noon. I'm sorry you couldn't spend more time with your friend" Iroh spoke, his tone suggesting his own sadness.

Zuko let Ty Lee go, although he struggled to remove her tight hold off of himself. "I guess this is goodbye, Ty Lee. I hope we can see each other again"

Zuko and Iroh turned to leave, leaving the broken girl standing there by herself.

"Zuko…" Ty Lee called. The boy turned his head and gave her his full attention. "Promise me…promise me something"

"Okay"

"Promise me that you'll come back to me one day…please" the girl begged, still tearing. Another tear rolled down Zuko's own cheek. This girl was really going to miss him, and that made him feel all the worse.

"I promise" Zuko replied, turning Iroh's frown into a small, pleased smile. He turned again and as the two left Ty Lee's sight, she watched them the entire way. When they were gone, Ty Lee broke down and cried. She covered her eyes and rested her elbows on her knees. She just cried.

--

_They had always kept the bigger promises._

--

Zuko unpacked his bag and threw it on what was to be his bed. He was in a room of the Fire Nation's Royal Palace. Just a day ago, he arrived back home with Azula, Mai, and Ty Lee. The Avatar was dead, _supposedly_, and Zuko was allowed back home, his banishment lifted. He was a new man since he embarked on his three year journey. Most importantly so in one aspect; he learned the true meaning of a word he never truly understood before: companion. That's what his uncle was to him, and more, but Zuko had betrayed him. The desire to be accepted again had gotten the better of him. Zuko looked towards the door as it slowly creaked open, a pretty girl's head poking in.

"Zuko!" Ty Lee cried in joy at the top of her lungs as she ran up to the boy and tackled him onto his bed with a very tight hug. "You're back! You're back!"

"How are you doing?" Zuko gave a friendly smile, returning his former best friend's embrace.

"It was terrible…" Ty Lee started, her smile turning into a frown. "I missed you so much" she whispered, bringing her head to the boy's chest. She tightened her hold on him for just a few seconds.

"I didn't mean to just leave like that. You…I missed you a lot too" Zuko replied. He felt himself slowly moving his hand over the girl's back, as to remember how she felt. Her body certainly had matured during the three years Zuko was absent.

"So, where did you go?" Ty Lee asked curiously, her body still lying atop Zuko's on his bed. Zuko didn't mind. After all, he had genuinely liked the girl as a child. She was pretty, funny, outgoing, and everything Zuko had sought to be great in a girl. And surely, as his thoughts constantly went back to her during his three years with his uncle, and with his masculine hormones setting in, he thought of her in romantic ways. Maybe, just maybe, he liked her. Not liked her. But _liked _her.

"I just traveled the world trying to capture the Avatar. But Azula finally got him, so I can come back home" Zuko answered.

"That's great! I'm just happy that you're back. I was afraid I wouldn't see you again"

"Wow, Ty Lee, are you in love with me or something?" Zuko chuckled lightly, joking.

"I _really_ like you, Zuko" Ty Lee answered honestly. Zuko's eyes widened as he completely expected a reply such as her pinching him for being ridiculous. But he didn't get that. She really meant it.

"That's nice to know" Zuko smiled.

"So, what about me?"

"What?"

"Did you miss me?"

"Yeah…of course," Zuko spoke truthfully. "You were my best friend"

"I'm glad you kept your promise" Ty Lee smiled, confusing the older boy.

"What…?"

"You don't remember?" Ty Lee cried, her facial expression letting Zuko know that this wasn't something to forget. He pondered for a moment, but quickly remembered that day.

"Oh yeah…I guess I did" he smiled and hugged her again. She brought her head down to his chest again out of affection and he saw a golden necklace around the girl's neck. Curious as to whether it was the one he had given her on her birthday, he pulled it until the gem showed. He saw the reflection of his smile on the big pink stone. It shined really brightly for it was recently cleaned. "You still have this"

"The necklace…of course," Ty Lee answered. "Why wouldn't I still have it?"

"Because you're careless and would probably lose it" Zuko joked, earning a small giggle from the girl.

"I promised you, okay" Ty Lee reminded him. She reached up to place a small kiss on the scar of Zuko's face, something to make his face redden.

"…I guess you really do like me" Zuko said, smiling from within, but not from his face.

"I do…do you like me?" Ty Lee asked, staring into the boy's eyes. Zuko moved her body higher so his face aligned with hers. He passionately brought his lips into contact with hers and moved his tongue through her lips. Ty Lee was shocked, but she certainly was excited. She returned the kiss and played with Zuko's tongue, using her own. After a few small seconds, their lips left each other's.

"Does that answer your question?" Zuko teased.

"I love you" Ty Lee replied simply, resting her head on the boy's chest again as his arms wrapped around her. She smiled widely. That day had been a great one.

"I love you too"

"And don't you dare ever leave me again" Ty Lee warned, completely serious. She closed her eyes and wore a smile.

Zuko lightly kissed the girl's forehead. "I won't. I promise"

--

_But what about the __**biggest**__ promise?_

--

It had been a couple years since the war passed. Zuko stood atop the balcony of the Fire Nation's Royal Palace. He was the Fire Lord and the world was at peace. Zuko had heard that his mother was found and she would come see him later this day. Zuko was happy, for it was a great day. Then he looked to his hand, wrapped with someone else's, and followed the arm to the beautiful face of the girl who had made his life so happy: Fire Lady Ty Lee.

"Isn't it so beautiful?" Ty Lee asked, referring to the stunning sunset which smeared with shades of yellow, orange, and red. It was truly the most amazing thing. She caressed the pink gem of the necklace Zuko had given her so long ago with her fingers, the craft being in her hands.

"Not as beautiful as you" Zuko complimented his wife with a soft smile, causing her to give a girlish giggle.

"Oh Zuko…" Ty Lee reached up to place a kiss on his cheek. "You're so sweet"

Zuko responded to her comment by wrapping his arms around the thin girl and turning her so she faced him. He looked at her with pleased eyes and she returned his look with a smile.

"Don't do it…_ZuZu_" Ty Lee teased.

"I will" Zuko answered. And he did. He met her lips with his own and kissed her passionately. The acrobatic girl moaned lightly in pleasure and wrapped Zuko in her arms as well. Zuko responded by rubbing the girls back with his arms and bringing her closer to himself.

What they didn't know was that someone was watching from behind them, the woman being unheard in her arrival.

"I knew it," Ursa smiled, much to the surprise of the two lovers. "I knew you two would end up like this"

--

_They had kept that one too._

--

**The End**

**Like I said before, this was an idea I had a while back but never wrote. And it certainly was a fun one to write! They're just so cute together! **

**And Ursa's back too!**

**Anyway…I've done the writing and you've done the reading; someone's got to do the reviewing! =) You don't have to be logged in to do so!**

**Later!**


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